Beef

Slow Cooker Beef Stew

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Adapted from Familyfun.com

  • 1 large onion, halved and thinly sliced
  • 3 medium carrots, peeled and sliced
  • 3 largish potatoes, cut into 1/2 inch chunks
  • 1 1/2 cups peeled and diced rutabaga
  • 1 1/2 cups fresh green beans, cut into bite-size pieces
  • 2 pounds beef stew meat chunks
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 2 cloves minced garlic
  • 4 cups beef stock
  • 1 (14 oz.) can tomato sauce
  • just under 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 4 Tablespoons all purpose flour
  • 3 teaspoons tomato paste

Put everything but the flour and the tomato paste in a large slow cooker.  Stir to combine.

Cover and cook on “low” for 8 to 9 hours or on “high” for 4 to 5, until the beef is tender and the potatoes are just fork tender.

Stir the stew once or twice as it cooks, if possible.  About 30 minutes before serving, transfer a couple of ladlefuls of the broth to a small mixing bowl.  Add the flour and tomato paste and whisk until smooth.  Stir the mixture into the stew and cook for the remaining half hour.

Makes 8 servings.

Tangy Beef and Barley Salad

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· ½ cup pearl barley

· 2 cups beef broth

· 1 pint grape tomatoes

· 4 scallions

· ½ lb. sliced roast beef

· ½ cup raisins

· 3 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice

· 2 Tablespoon cider vinegar

· 2 Tablespoon olive oil

· 2 Tablespoon Dijon mustard

· ½ teaspoon brown sugar

· ½ teaspoon white pepper

In a medium saucepan, combine the barley and beef broth. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until the barley is just tender, 50-60 minutes. (Reduce time for quick-cooking barley.)

Meanwhile, cut tomatoes in half, coarsely chop the scallions and cut the beef into strips.

In a serving bowl, combine the lemon juice, vinegar, oil, mustard, sugar, and pepper. Cook over medium heat until just heated through, 3 to 4 minutes.

Pour the dressing over the vegetables and roast beef and toss to combine. Set aside until barley is cooked.

Remove barley from the saucepan, using a slotted spoon if there is excess broth in the pan. Add hot barley to serving bowl and stir to combine.

Serve hot, cold, or at room temperature.

Rehfwitz Weeknight Chili

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  • 1 lb. ground beef or turkey
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 2 cloves minced garlic
  • 1 red bell pepper, diced
  • 1 (28 oz.) can tomatoes, whole or chopped
  • 1 small can chopped green chiles
  • 3 cans of beans (can be black, Kidney, pinto, Great Northern, Canellini, or a combination)
  • 1 (14.5 oz.) can beef broth
  • 1/4 cup Chili Powder
  • 2 teaspoons cumin
  • Kosher salt to taste

In a large saucepan or pot, brown meat with onion, garlic, and pepper; drain fat.  (NOTE: I often brown and freeze meat ahead of time.  If using pre-cooked meat, start the veggies first and then add the meat to warm it up and mix the flavors.)

Add remaining ingredients and simmer 30 minutes to 3 hours.  Freezes very well.

Taco Lasagna

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Submitted by Beth Isola

  • 1 package flour tortillas
  • 1 1/2 lbs. Ground Chuck
  • 1/2 onion
  • 1 Bell Pepper (your choice of color, red, green, etc.)
  • 1 package of Taco seasoning mix (reg or spicy)
  • Shredded Cheese
  • 1 large can of enchilada sauce

Brown the meat and mix in taco seasoning.  Spray a casserole dish with Pam and pour a small amount of enchilada sauce in the bottom of the dish.  Dip flour tortillas into the remaining sauce and layer in the bottom of the dish.  Add a layer of meat mixture and cheese.  Continue to layer until  all the  ingredients are gone.  If you have leftover sauce pour it in.   Bake at 350 until the top is brown and the casserole is bubbly.

Easy and simple.  You can add jalopeno peppers if you like a bit of a kick.  Also you can top the final layer with olives or tomatoes, whatever your gang likes.

Denise’s Brisket

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Submitted by Denise Levenson

  • 1 Flat-cut Beef Brisket (2-5lbs.)
  • 1/2 to 3/4 cup of Ketchup
  • 3 heaping Tablespoons of Red Horseradish
  • 2 to 3 Tablespoon of Soy Sauce or Maggis’s
  • Granulated Garlic
  • Salt
  • Pepper
  • Onion
  • 1/3 cup water

Option 2:

Mix in a large measuring cup: Ketchup, red horse radish, soy sauce stir or mix with a fork

Prep Brisket: Season Brisket with granulated garlic, sea salt or kosher salt, pepper.

Put ketchup mixture on brisket and spread to cover whole brisket, cut up onion and spread around brisket add 1/3 cup of water

Cover with foil, place in 350° oven for 2 to 3.5 hrs… depend on size of the brisket.

Slice brisket on an angle place back in pan or serving dish (Pyrex) and pour gravy over top of meat and serve.

You can do this ahead of time and reheat when dinner is served. Cover with foil

Option 1:

Prepare Brisket as above

Cover with plastic and refrigerate for 4 hrs before cooking, I like this method better for myself.

Cook as instructed. When cook time is done slice brisket,place it in serving dish cover with the gravy. Put foil back on and leave 1 hr in oven prior to serving. This give the juice time to meld into the meat..Yummy

Brisket 2009

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  • 2 4-pound flat cut beef briskets
  • 2 large onions, sliced
  • 2 envelopes (one box) Lipton onion soup mix
  • kosher salt
  • garlic powder
  • paprika
  • 1 cup Coca Cola
  • 1 can petite diced tomatoes, with juice
  • 1 can beef broth
  • 4-5 cups assorted dried fruit (apricots, cranberries, cherries, raising,  prunes, etc.)
  • Tomato juice

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

Trim fat from briskets.

Divide onion slices between two roasting pans.  Arrange slices so that they cover the bottom in a shallow layer.  Place briskets on top of onion slices.

Rub each brisket with one envelope of onion soup mix, kosher salt, garlic powder and paprika.

Mix Coca Cola, tomatoes with liquid, and beef broth.  Pour gently over the briskets, dividing evenly and trying not to wash off the onion soup, etc.

Top with dried fruit.

Cover pans tightly with foil and bake for 2 hours.

Turn oven down to 250 degrees and bake for 4 1/2 hours longer.  Check periodically, to make sure there is still liquid in the pan.  If it is getting dry,add beef broth or tomato juice.

At the end of cooking time, remove briskets, wrap in foil, and refrigerate.  Strain pan juices with a sieve, pushing with the back of a large spoon to extract all liquid.  Cover and refrigerate strained liquid over night.

The next day, skim fat from liquid.

Slice meat against the grain and place in a single layer in a 9×13” glass baking pan (You may need two.).

Pour defatted liquid over brisket.  If there is insufficient liquid to cover meat, add tomato juice.  Cover with foil and refrigerate or freeze until ready to reheat.

If meat is frozen, thaw before reheating.

Reheat, covered, at 325 degrees for 45-60 minutes.

Brisket #4

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  • · 1 4-pound beef brisket, trimmed
  • · 1 envelope Lipton onion soup mix
  • · Kosher salt
  • · Garlic powder
  • · Paprika
  • · ¾ cup Coca Cola
  • · ½ can petite diced tomatoes
  • · ½ cup beef broth
  • · 4 cups shredded carrots

Preheat oven to 300◦.

Rub brisket with onion soup mix, salt, garlic powder and paprika. Place it in a roasting pan, on a rack if desired.

In a small bowl, mix Coca Cola, tomatoes, and beef broth. Pour mixture over brisket, being careful not to disturb too much of the rubbed-on ingredients.

Top with shredded carrots.

Cover with lid or foil. Cook at 300 for 2 hours. Lower heat to 250 and continue to cook for 4 ½ hours more.

Remove from oven. Scrape carrots off meat into pan juices. Remove meat from pan and cool. Wrap meat in foil and refrigerate.

Strain pan liquid, with carrots. Kind of squish carrots against sieve with the back of a spoon to get all the juice into the container. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

The next day, skim fat from the top of the refrigerated pan juices. Slice meat against the grain and place in a freezer-worthy container or baking dish. Pour juices over meat.

At this point, you may reheat or freeze to reheat later. We have great luck with freezing this dish.

Serves 8.

Polynesian Flank Steak

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From Saving Dinner

· 2 pound flank steak (or flat iron steak)

· 1 teaspoon lemon peel, grated

· 2 tablespoons olive oil

· ¼ cup lemon juice

· ¼ cup soy sauce

· 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated (or 1 ½ teaspoons ginger powder)

· 2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced

· 1 teaspoon brown sugar

Combine all ingredients in a 1-gallon freezer bag and roll around until combined.

If cooking that day or the next, place in refrigerator for at least two hours, turning now and then.

To freeze for later, put in another gallon bag marked with the date and place in the freezer. Defrost before cooking.

When ready, cook in oven broiler or on grill 5-8 minutes per side or to desired doneness.

Slice very thinly, on a diagonal (across the grain) and serve hot or cold.

Submitted by the Rehfwitzes